


The Gladiator Statue

by Lokester



Category: MCU, Marvel, The Avengers, Thor - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-14 23:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13018128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokester/pseuds/Lokester
Summary: Inspired my an amazing fanfiction by Maiden_of_Asgard- The Gladiator.You can find her work on AO3,under the name above.A link to deviantart in case this shit doesn't upload:https://alisseme.deviantart.com/art/Loki-The-Lovers-The-Gladiator-Statue-720105747Here goes a bit of story behind the picture:





	The Gladiator Statue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maiden_of_Asgard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiden_of_Asgard/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Gladiator](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12642066) by [Maiden_of_Asgard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiden_of_Asgard/pseuds/Maiden_of_Asgard). 



> Inspired my an amazing fanfiction by Maiden_of_Asgard- The Gladiator.
> 
> You can find her work on AO3,under the name above.  
> A link to deviantart in case this shit doesn't upload:  
> https://alisseme.deviantart.com/art/Loki-The-Lovers-The-Gladiator-Statue-720105747
> 
> Here goes a bit of story behind the picture:

The Gladiator is perhaps one of the biggest uncovered mysteries of Roman legacy. Dated for 1st century B. C. ,the marble statue preserved in nearly ideal state turned the heads od entire art community in early 2000' , as the masterpiece was discovered in a secret location underneath Vatican City. The ancient statue was sculpted from single block of Andalusian marble, the author remaining unknown.

The statue is thought to depict a male gladiator , as indicated by the typical leather-strapped tunic and weapons belt, a man entwined in a sensual embrace with a fair-faced maiden. Such an interpretation is a subject of intense debate amongst specialists, as the statue is ladden with unusual designs and atypical details;while the outfit of the male suggests at the first glance a profession of a gladiatior, the lack of weaponry and proper armour, lack of shoes and long,semi-feminine hairstyle,uncommon amongst men of Roman society indicates a person of barbarian orgin, perhaps a freed-slave or foregin warrior. His lover is no less confusing, as her intricate hairstyle and clothes indicate a woman of noble birth , from the heights of Roman society.

The theme of the statue seems to have no corellation with any known scene from mythology, Roman,Greek or otherwise, and can only be described as an one-of a kind,standalone piece of art,both in form and subject. Some paralrelles were drawn between godess of affection and beauty, Venus and her warlike lover, Ares, implicating the sculpture to be an allegory of a romantic love overpowering chaos, war and vegenance, though whether such an interpretation is correct remains a subject of ongoing debate .

What is perhaps most confusing, is a subtle ,yet incedibly important detail ,which initially went over the heads of archeologists-a hidden,almost indecipherable inscription in old Norse, a language of Celts and Vikings, which made no appearance on the grounds of Roman empire before II century A.D. , long after both the sculpture and inscription were created.  
Partially deciphered , it is perhaps one of the most captivating, if cryptic sentences delivered in runic language:  
"As the rain ceases, so shall perish your fire"

The statue had no official name, and as such the names given by archeologists : " The Lovers" , "The Gladiator" ,and quite recently, proposed by professor H. Elbanowsky " Fire and Rain" are comonnly accepted in professional literature and art community.


End file.
